Author: phonetic

I have a belief that going the extra mile will get you an extra 10 miles when it comes to business…or even in life. I have a client who needed some re-records. It was part client changes and part fixes on my end, like pronunciations and an editing oversite. Our contract states that if the changes are at their request, I can charge a re-record fee – but if they are my fault, I can’t. I did the records and editing fixes and sent them back, but was trying to decide if I should invoice them or just let it go. I sought advice from others and got a bit of both sides of it, so I was still stuck. Then the client called back to let me know that there was another round of changes to record – but they were their changes and not mistakes on my part. Win! I could now confidently bill them for the work. But that’s not the point of my little story here.

When the second round came through they were very apologetic about having a round two. They knew it was an inconvenience for me considering my recording schedule was so tight – and I legitimately appreciated their concern for my schedule. I simply told them it was no problem and that I would consider it part of the first round of re-records and for them to not worry one bit. It was no big deal for me to act that way. I know people who would have given them the riot act – seeing it as an opportunity to bill again and go through that process. But I think that doesn’t do you any good for the long-term relationship with your clients.

My client was so happy with my attitude that she was happy to pass along how easy I was to work with to the CEO of the company. That is only good news. Now, I am on the CEO’s radar and that’s good capital. So, I put the quick buck aside and looked at the long-game….and if you’re not thinking that way, you’re doomed….eventually.

Peace and Love, always…

Fitz

www.rocvox.com

We all know this scenario. Heck, I was recently accused of being one of these people! Someone actually had the gall to say I was a user! These former friends are pretty lost in some alternative facts. But thankfully, I have exorcised my life of such dark demons.

Friends With Something You Want

Have you ever been in a situation where someone suddenly pops up in your life and is your best pal? Then after a little while they drop the subtle need that you can help with? Then, poof…they’re gone! YUP! I’ve had some recent dealings with this kind of person – and for the most part, I am ok with it. WHY???? Because I am not on this earth to play tit for tat! One of the oldest philosophies ever in religion is “turn the other cheek”. I have turned the cheek quite a bit lately and that is totally OK.

Here’s How I Deal With It (and you can too)

Let it go! It’s that simple. I am not suggesting that you become everyone’s favorite welcome mat, but simply learn who those folks are and then quietly distance yourself from them.

“But, what if they are an important part of my life, Fitz?”, you ask…

Yeah, there’s that. So, I would suggest you rate them on some kind of scale. 1-10, A-F, whatever…and the higher they rank, the more you should do to try and fix the problem. I mean, there is always the option of being frankly honest with people. You could just blurt out, “Hey…so I never hear from you unless you need something.” I totally feel like doing that right now. I have some people who are currently not responding to my messages and yet when they need something and ask me, I respond immediately! Maybe I am just a better friend to them then they are to me, huh? Sad.

So, I’ve blathered quite a bit here and I am not sure I’ve given you any info you didn’t already know. I do know that you are in charge of your own life and don’t have to take anyone’s bull.

Choices are: turn the other cheek and slowly fade away from that person or confront them – all based on whether or not they have value in your life. It kind of sounds cheap and corporate – but then again, if they are only hitting you up on Facebook when they need you – and then not answering your questions in a reasonable timeframe, why bother with them at all?

You do You.

Peace and Love, Always…

Fitz

www.rocvox.com

Rule #1 in life should be: If you didn’t learn anything today, you’re doing it wrong! I don’t care if you are at the top of your field and there is literally NOTHING else about the tech or industry you can learn – look harder, because there is. Whether it is simply looking at something from a different point of view or meeting someone new in your industry and learning how THEY do things. It is all worthy of your attention. 

Better yet, how about learning how to be a human? The moment you get it all figured out and can operate at 100% perfect humanity, you had better let the rest of us know – because I think it is evolving faster than you can adapt. That in mind, you must always be learning something.

I Learned Something Yesterday!

What say you, Fitz? I learned how I shouldn’t let some little things affect my big picture. Yeah, it is not a revolutionary thought and perhaps you learned that when you were popping pimples in study hall! Well, I am new at this whole “growth” concept. I got all bent out of shape because a prospective client canceled their studio tour with no explanation. I was crestfallen! This actually was the company I thought of first for my services, even before I opened my business, so the thought of them coming in and checking out my wares was very exciting. A few other little things happened to me yesterday and I was starting to lose my positive glow. That was a huge mistake!

I got it back with a little meditation. I put on some great meditation music (for me it is a film score playlist on Spotify) and in a few minutes I had my center back. Let me tell you – if you have not tried this, do yourself a favor. Go out to your car or lock yourself in the bathroom for 5-10 minutes and focus on your breathing…it really helps. Think about your goals – live in the moment – feel the emotions as if you have already accomplished whatever it is you want to achieve. Oh it is so transformative.

If you didn’t know about this – you just learned something! At the very least, you learned that I like Film Scores on Spotify!

Peace and love, always…

Fitz

Check out my biz!

It is an unfortunate truth – but perception is reality. Some people have a very distorted perception of the world around them and although we see it differently than they, it is their reality and sometimes there is absolutely no way to alter their perceptions. My most recent experience with that is kind of heartbreaking for me. I lost some folks who I considered friends because their reality was quite different from mine. Now, I am not professing to be flawless by any means, but thankfully I was not the only one who perceived my version of the reality.

Beware of the Reality Benders

Yeah, they can actually bend the reality around them and due to their intense influence  over others, can bend their realities as well. I have known these folks – they have a strong will and they can totally pull the wool over their eyes. Take stock in your reality by sometimes checking in with someone you can trust and see what they perceive. 

It gets complicated and it reminds me of the film where the whole plot unfolds a  certain way and at the end the person is in a psych ward and the entire film was their own fantasy while in a straight jacket.

Peace and Love, always…

Fitz

A bunch of dudes talking about the movies that made them love movies.

Hosted by Arian Horbovetz – A Podcast highlighting the urban rebirth in our cities and the components that lead to stronger communities.

Perinton, N.Y. — There’s a new studio in the Rochester area where you can work on your own podcast, voiceover and more.

I’ve always wanted to be the auteur filmmaker – but I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am just better with a team. I can lead the team as the director, or simply toss in my 2 cents as a co-writer. To me, there is nothing more fun than sitting with someone I really connect with and writing something we both love. I pride myself on my dialogue. I really try to make it honest and real. You want dialogue? I can pretty much nail it for you. Story? I need a co-pilot for certain. I have written a handful of shorts, but my goal has always been to write a feature-length script. One that makes the viewers think. I have plenty of ideas and plenty of characters, but I always seem to write myself into a corner. Maybe it is an easy fix, like developing discipline. One of my mentors in town told me that his writing time is as sacred as office hours at a job. He is a writer and therefore must be at work from 9-5. He will always write – even if what he writes is terrible, he writes. I think there is some genuine wisdom there.

I have been very fortunate to have become friends with so many talented people in Rochester and beyond. One of the promises I make to the Universe is to give back. When I accomplish my goals, I want to help others accomplish theirs. Again, there are people in my life who have done some wonderful things for me and I would absolutely love to be that for someone else.

This is why I believe that Collaboration is King! I can foresee me writing more with Steve Miller as Loose Screw Productions. We joke that we share the same brain. Considering I have been doing pretty well at keeping up with my Daily Blathering posts, I will attempt the next step of making “Writing Office Hours”. It may have to wait until the kids go back to school, but I really believe that kind of discipline can help. Here is a link to some of the best Screenwriting teams.

These guys are my favorite:

How are you disciplined in your profession? I’m interested in your comments, please share them with me below.

Sometimes it takes a real honest person (or a few in my case) to tell you to take your head out of your ass, suck it up and move forward. Each day on my radio show (which I am very thankful to have by the way) I do a segment I call #HappyHeadlines. I read up to 3 stories that are in essence, positive. Sometimes it is a story about someone who had a horrible accident but persevered through it all to come out stronger. Other times it is a story about pure selflessness. I try really hard to find 3 stories, but in today’s world, sometimes I can only do 1. That’s fine with me. The segment used to be the Top Trending stories, but I was sick of the bad stuff: politics, disasters, depressing and negative stories.

Yes, Negative Thoughts Bring Negative Things

It’s not like I don’t know this. It is not like I have never listened to the Think and Grow Rich audiobook (Napoleon Hill, 1937). Thoughts are things for certain. One of my good friends (who I never hang out with but would like to) has accomplished many things in his life. He and I are both video guys – work in related fields for rich people. He kicked me in the pants recently. It was a figurative kick that came in the form of a Facebook message – but it was what I needed to hear. It’s not like my other friends haven’t casually mentioned the same, but when it comes from someone whom you don’t correspond with often, it makes it seem more real, more urgent. He told me that my Blatherings are a stream of negativity and I present myself poorly. I am not delivering the correct version of myself to “the world” via the inter-webs. On the head, the nail was hit.

It is the cold-hard truth. Should I throw in more clichés? No, i shouldn’t – I want to stay positive! But OK, I see the writing on the wall (had to) and from now on, if I cannot deliver positivity via my “blog”, I won’t write. Now, in my pitiful defense, my Blathering Blog was a way for me to force myself to write each and every day – whatever was on my mind. It started out as a public journal. But – it makes sense that if people are going to read this I should make it worth reading.

Smart Friends Rule!

Napoleon Hill mentions a concept called “The Mastermind Group”, which is a group of people who each have their own area of expertise and you maintain relationships with them so you can all help one another out when you run into problems. That’s my simple definition anyway. I have a huge Mastermind Group and I am extremely thankful for that. I am going to start listening and stop blathering. (Except, I’ll still blather here).

Thanks everyone.